Former Congressman Loses Defamation Appeal Over Political Mailer

A former Democratic congressman from Florida lost his defamation lawsuit against defunct political action committee Progress Tomorrow Inc. when the Eleventh Circuit on Friday said the committee’s mailings cited reliable sources for their accusations.

Alan Grayson, who represented two central Florida districts in the US House of Representatives between 2009 and 2017, didn’t show that the allegedly defamatory statements were made with actual malice, the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit said in an unpublished opinion. Grayson submitted no evidence that would allow a jury to conclude that the defendants knew or had significant reason to suspect the ...